Mount Hood Wilderness Protection

As apart of our mission to protect the farms and forest of Hood River, HRVRC has been a leading force in working to protect the Crystal Springs Watershed and north side wilderness while expanding recreational and residential opportunities on the south side of the mountain. The “land swap,” as it’s commonly refered to, earned HRVRC, Mt. Hood Meadows, and Hood River County the “Resolution of the Year” award from Six Rivers Mediation Group in 2006.

The protection of Mount Hood wilderness and the proposed “land swap” is hinging on the continued progress of two bills:

The Mount Hood Wilderness Act of 2007 (S.647) was introduced Senator Ron Wyden (D) and Senator Gordon Smith (R) . Unfortunatley, Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) put a “hold” on the bill and stopped it in its tracks in spring 2008. Today, (August 14, 2008) conservationist are hopeful about the passage of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act (S.3213) that would package 90 individual bills together, including S.647.

Oregon Treasures Bills Representives Earl Blumenauer, Darlene Hooley and David Wu sponsored Oregon Treasures on June 18th, 2008. It would add 132,00 acres of wilderness and add nearly 80 miles of Wild & Scenic protections to nine Mount Hood Rivers.

The “land swap” would protect the wild north side of Mount Hood and the Crystal Springs Zone of Contribution.

• Land protection: Cultivated over a year and a half of mediation between Mt. Hood Meadows, Hood River County and HRVRC, the proposed agreement would end 30 years of disputes over Meadows efforts to develop a destination resort. Essentially, Meadows would trade 2,000 acres of land on the wild north side of Mount Hood for in exchange for 120 acres of Forest Service land adjacent to Government Camp where development is more applicable. Included in this “land swap” are historic structures at Tilly Jane, an important deer and elk migration corridor, and a large amount of land on top of the Crystal Springs “Zone of Contribution” (ZOC - defined to left).
• Water protection: Mount Hood Meadows has development rights to about one-third of the 6.9-square-mile Crystal Springs zone of contribution (ZOC). Crystal Springs Water District provides water to 25 percent of Hood River County’s residents. If Mt. Hood Meadows went ahead with any part of their plan to build 400-something homes or golf courses or more roads, this tranquil, clean ZOC would be impacted. According to the June 2003, Source Water Assessment Report for Crystal Springs prepared by the Oregon Department of Human Services, “the aquifer is considered highly sensitive due to the shallow unconfined nature of the aquifer, the highly permeable character of the aquifer, the presence of fractured bedrock at the spring outflow….“ “The presence of highly permeable soils within the DWPA (Drinking Water Protection Area) contribute to the overall sensitivity of the drinking water supply.”

Map of SB 647 proposal

Mission:The mission of Hood River Valley Residents Committee is to protect Hood River County’s farm and forestland for current and future generations while promoting the livability of its cities and rural communities thru advocacy, research, education, and monitoring.


 

Zone of Contribution (ZOC) Delineates an approximate boundary of where ground water originates, as opposed to a watershed, which delineates surface water. Think of it this way: the Zone of Contribution is like a big bathtub filled with all sorts of sand and gravel and the drain is the spring itself. Chemicals, fertilizers and other polluntants associated with development will eventually make it to the drain.